experience in selling a modded car? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

S-eatin-grin · 07-20-2012, 11:33 AM

I'm moving...which will double my commute distance to work, not to mention I could also use some cash so I've been kicking around the idea of selling the Camaro. I've heard several times that you generally take a huge hit on your mods when reselling the car so I'm wondering who here has done it and where the best place is to sell it? Dealer vs. private-ad vs. Carmax. I know virtually no-one sells their car here on the forum and returning my car to stock prior to selling is not an option for me. Any advice/experience would be appreciated...thanks

DRKS1D3 · 07-20-2012, 11:48 AM

If you want the best return, sell it privately. Trading in a modified car never nets positive results...EVER! You will never recover the money you put into the car. A dealer will give you a price on a STOCK car because a modified car only attracts a certain clientele. Put an ad on Ebay or Craigslist. Somebody looking for a modified Camaro will definitely check those places first. Nice car, nice mods!

S-eatin-grin · 07-20-2012, 12:39 PM

thanks for the adivce..I don't trust craig's list but might try e-bay vs a local ad.

SS 376 · 07-20-2012, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S-eatin-grin

I know virtually no-one sells their car here on the forum and returning my car to stock prior to selling is not an option for me. Any advice/experience would be appreciated...thanks

Plenty of people have sold their car here on Camaro5. I did. If you're going to sell a modded car, you need to be two things 1) realistic and 2) patient. And liek Darkside said, private is the only way to go. Dealers and Car-Max will try to screw you real, real hard.

I'd say if you put $10,000 into your car, dont just go and tack on $8,000 above blue book and think you're giving someone a great deal. Remember, for a used car, banks aren't going to go much above blue book and most people finance their cars. So you're going to have to stay relatively close to blue book. And remmeber you're selling a modded car. Most Camaro owners dont mod their cars and those that do often would prefer to do it their way. So it may take several weeks or longer.

Fiveg56 · 07-20-2012, 01:19 PM

The problem is going to be the limited market for used cars that have aftermarket superchargers. Expect to take a huge hit.

EFI · 07-20-2012, 01:53 PM

Given your mod list, I'd say you stand to make significantly more money by demodding and selling those off on the forums.

Say your car is worth $20,000 stock (just making that number up, no idea how much it really is) and you have $8,000 worth of mods. You'd be lucky to get $23,000 for your car from someone, and that someone would have to be knowledgeable in Camaro tuning and appreciate the mods you have done. That greatly reduces your pool of potential buyers and skimps you off quite a bit of mod money.

Now if you could take off those mods and sell em on here, you could get some $6,000 for them. Along with $20,000 for the actual car you stand to make $3,000 more doing it that way all for a weekend's worth of work. And your pool of potential buyers is greatly increased by selling a stock car.

If you had minor bolt ons I'd say it's probably not worth to demod, but given you have some extensive mods like a supercharger and expensive headers I would demod and sell mods separately. I think many people would kill for a chance to make $3,000 in say 10 hours worth of labor that it would take you to demod.

S-eatin-grin · 07-20-2012, 02:16 PM

Yeah...I have 24K in mods with a total investment of 60K in the car with only 8300 miles on it....I was thinking I'd probably be willing to part ways at 45K which still hurts and is a hell of deal (no way you could do what I've done to it for even close to that money) Just have to find the right venu for a buyer

Deceptipunk · 07-20-2012, 02:20 PM

I don't think you'll get $45K. I hope I'm wrong though. I'd love to see the value of these cars go up.

S-eatin-grin · 07-20-2012, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deceptipunk

I don't think you'll get $45K. I hope I'm wrong though. I'd love to see the value of these cars go up.

Yeah...you may be right but I'm in the great position that I don't have to sell it..I'm probably just gonna put in ad and see what comes...if I don't get offered what I want then I keep it...terrible thing ya know having to keep a car like this

S-eatin-grin · 07-20-2012, 02:31 PM

[QUOTE=SS 376;5319186] Remember, for a used car, banks aren't going to go much above blue book and most people finance their cars. QUOTE]

Great point...I was thinking about that. Most people are going to borrowing money to buy and the bank is going to ask why you are paying so much for 2010 SS. I've used a HELOC to buy things before when I didn't want to deal with asking the bank for something specific....all purchases show up as a cash advance....and the interest is tax dectuctable.

PoorMansCamaro · 07-20-2012, 02:36 PM

you have to pay a little, but i have sold cars on autotrader.com. fast turn around. probably the best way to sell privately.

Cpanthers85 · 07-20-2012, 02:37 PM

I know it probably doesn't help much, but I have been on the fence about selling my Cobalt SS. KBB for a trade in is around $13k, private party is $15k. I have about $5k in mods invested into it. I was asking $16K thinking it would be a hell of a deal. People kept offering me $11-$12k for it, so I decided to try and trade it in. The highest offer from a dealer was only $10.5 and they claimed that with my mods, I actually depreciated the value of the car. The warranty is still intact too! I was shocked.

The other problem I ran into was that people kept asking me to part it out, and like you, I didn't want to be bothered with that.

I decided to keep it.

Good luck on your decision. I'd hate to see a fellow eforce owner go!

S-eatin-grin · 07-20-2012, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cpanthers85

Good luck on your decision. I'd hate to see a fellow eforce owner go!

I'd hate to see it go too...but just about everything has a price...I'm likley keeping it

Swacer · 07-20-2012, 02:54 PM

You'll have much better luck selling it to a private party. I sold my modded Genesis Coupe on Autotrader. I did the $70ish option and the car was getting phone calls within days. I had it sold within a month.

I got a bit more than the loan was worth....but the mods for the most part...were a loss.

squat · 07-20-2012, 02:56 PM

I hate how dealers will either give you stock price or below for a modded car and then turn around and sell it for more because of the mods.

I've never sold a modded car, but I've purchased several cars/trucks and every time I see one listed that has mods it's always a great deal more expensive because of the mods. I simply tell them 'no thanks, I don't want to pay for the mods. So either sell me that one for stock value or find me a stock one' and that's that. Just a rather scummy thing I've noticed...

STW · 07-20-2012, 03:02 PM

I sold my 70 SS Chevelle on Craiglists in 10 minutes. Had 7 other people offering cash, trailer, get it tonight, etc....couldn't get the post down soon enough from stopping it from blowing up my phone.
was gone by dusk.
Nominal investment posting on there, might go quick.

STW · 07-20-2012, 03:03 PM

Btw the Chevelle was far from stock.

partymn · 07-20-2012, 03:10 PM

Let me give you the quation for adding the cost of mods to a cars value. Price of mod - amount for OEM replacment. So lets say that you have added a CAI= $350. OEM intake= $200, price added onto sale price $150. When most people look at buying a car they only look at the book price, most are ignorant in the fact that its modded and they dont know how to price for the mods. You will never make money on a after market modded car unless you mod it and sell it when its brand new with almost no miles on it. Your best bet is to put it up on this site, I tryed to buy one that was already boosted from this site. Just be aware that not everyone that asks about your car will be able to come and get it so be prepaired to ship it to them and have them pay via PayPal. I think $45 is more then reasonable for the extensive amount of mods that you have as long as the car is in really good shape and you dont add shipping on top of it. Plus the people on this site will know better than anyone else what the car is actually worth. Good luck

hightower · 07-20-2012, 08:30 PM

De-mod it

Higgs Boson · 07-20-2012, 08:34 PM

yep, get it back to as stock as possible.

two_wheel_mayhem · 07-20-2012, 08:42 PM

For a private sale, modifications may be the deciding factor for a buyer picking your car over another.

But it's a double edged sword if your asking price is too high justified by mods, not many will call. Unless it's big mods like a S/C then your market becomes more specific.

No one acts like they care about mods when buying, it's a buyer strategy.

Run4two · 07-20-2012, 08:43 PM

Just keep it.

FINALLYSATISFIED · 07-20-2012, 09:29 PM

Military bases you'll end up having the best luck honestly...

Kiss My SS · 07-20-2012, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S-eatin-grin

I'm moving...which will double my commute distance to work, not to mention I could also use some cash so I've been kicking around the idea of selling the Camaro. I've heard several times that you generally take a huge hit on your mods when reselling the car so I'm wondering who here has done it and where the best place is to sell it? Dealer vs. private-ad vs. Carmax. I know virtually no-one sells their car here on the forum and returning my car to stock prior to selling is not an option for me. Any advice/experience would be appreciated...thanks

Keep it and buy a beater to drive to work!

Carls2SS · 07-20-2012, 10:48 PM

I've had goodluck with craigslist, just make sure when some one comes to look at the car, meet them at your local police station, or state trooper barracks

07-20-2012, 11:33 AM	#1
S-eatin-grin Drives: 2010 VR LS3 2SS/RS white stripes Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: WV Posts: 974 View My Garage	experience in selling a modded car? I'm moving...which will double my commute distance to work, not to mention I could also use some cash so I've been kicking around the idea of selling the Camaro. I've heard several times that you generally take a huge hit on your mods when reselling the car so I'm wondering who here has done it and where the best place is to sell it? Dealer vs. private-ad vs. Carmax. I know virtually no-one sells their car here on the forum and returning my car to stock prior to selling is not an option for me. Any advice/experience would be appreciated...thanks __________________ *DSS 1400HP axles, DSS driveshaft.* *BMR driveshaft loop, 1" lowering springs, sways, trailing arms, toe rods, links, total suspension pro-version poly bushings.* *1 7/8 ARH long tubes, 3" cat back, Dynomax VT axle-back.* *Edelbrock E-force SC with 3.25" pulley, JRE e-force fuel rail mod, 850cc Dynamic injectors, LPE twin fuel pump, JRE rough idle blower cam kit, Roto-fab e-force intake, RX catch can.* *Jannetty Racing Tuned: 622 rwhp / 582 rwtrq*

07-20-2012, 11:48 AM	#2
DRKS1D3 Drives: 2011 Camaro SS Convertible LS3 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,121	If you want the best return, sell it privately. Trading in a modified car never nets positive results...EVER! You will never recover the money you put into the car. A dealer will give you a price on a STOCK car because a modified car only attracts a certain clientele. Put an ad on Ebay or Craigslist. Somebody looking for a modified Camaro will definitely check those places first. Nice car, nice mods! __________________ MY RIDE: 2011 TRIPLE BLACK SS CONVERTIBLE (LS3)--K&N TYPHOON INTAKE/FLOWMASTER FORCE II EXHAUST/HYPERTECH MAX ENERGY 93 OCTANE TUNE/BLACKED OUT BOWTIES DAD'S RIDE: 2012 ZL1 #1866--BLACK, 6 SPEED, CF HOOD, POLISHED WHEELS, SUNROOF, ROTO-FAB INTAKE "Silly Americans, taking from the rich and giving to the poor only works in fairy tales. Success is earned here!".

07-20-2012, 12:39 PM	#3
S-eatin-grin Drives: 2010 VR LS3 2SS/RS white stripes Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: WV Posts: 974 View My Garage	thanks for the adivce..I don't trust craig's list but might try e-bay vs a local ad. __________________ *DSS 1400HP axles, DSS driveshaft.* *BMR driveshaft loop, 1" lowering springs, sways, trailing arms, toe rods, links, total suspension pro-version poly bushings.* *1 7/8 ARH long tubes, 3" cat back, Dynomax VT axle-back.* *Edelbrock E-force SC with 3.25" pulley, JRE e-force fuel rail mod, 850cc Dynamic injectors, LPE twin fuel pump, JRE rough idle blower cam kit, Roto-fab e-force intake, RX catch can.* *Jannetty Racing Tuned: 622 rwhp / 582 rwtrq*

07-20-2012, 02:16 PM	#7
S-eatin-grin Drives: 2010 VR LS3 2SS/RS white stripes Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: WV Posts: 974 View My Garage	Yeah...I have 24K in mods with a total investment of 60K in the car with only 8300 miles on it....I was thinking I'd probably be willing to part ways at 45K which still hurts and is a hell of deal (no way you could do what I've done to it for even close to that money) Just have to find the right venu for a buyer __________________ *DSS 1400HP axles, DSS driveshaft.* *BMR driveshaft loop, 1" lowering springs, sways, trailing arms, toe rods, links, total suspension pro-version poly bushings.* *1 7/8 ARH long tubes, 3" cat back, Dynomax VT axle-back.* *Edelbrock E-force SC with 3.25" pulley, JRE e-force fuel rail mod, 850cc Dynamic injectors, LPE twin fuel pump, JRE rough idle blower cam kit, Roto-fab e-force intake, RX catch can.* *Jannetty Racing Tuned: 622 rwhp / 582 rwtrq*

07-20-2012, 02:31 PM	#10
S-eatin-grin Drives: 2010 VR LS3 2SS/RS white stripes Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: WV Posts: 974 View My Garage	[QUOTE=SS 376;5319186] Remember, for a used car, banks aren't going to go much above blue book and most people finance their cars. QUOTE] Great point...I was thinking about that. Most people are going to borrowing money to buy and the bank is going to ask why you are paying so much for 2010 SS. I've used a HELOC to buy things before when I didn't want to deal with asking the bank for something specific....all purchases show up as a cash advance....and the interest is tax dectuctable. __________________ *DSS 1400HP axles, DSS driveshaft.* *BMR driveshaft loop, 1" lowering springs, sways, trailing arms, toe rods, links, total suspension pro-version poly bushings.* *1 7/8 ARH long tubes, 3" cat back, Dynomax VT axle-back.* *Edelbrock E-force SC with 3.25" pulley, JRE e-force fuel rail mod, 850cc Dynamic injectors, LPE twin fuel pump, JRE rough idle blower cam kit, Roto-fab e-force intake, RX catch can.* *Jannetty Racing Tuned: 622 rwhp / 582 rwtrq*

07-20-2012, 01:19 PM	#5
Fiveg56 Drives: Yes Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: MN Posts: 1,594 View My Garage	The problem is going to be the limited market for used cars that have aftermarket superchargers. Expect to take a huge hit.

07-20-2012, 01:53 PM	#6
EFI Drives: poop Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: home Posts: 76	Given your mod list, I'd say you stand to make significantly more money by demodding and selling those off on the forums. Say your car is worth $20,000 stock (just making that number up, no idea how much it really is) and you have $8,000 worth of mods. You'd be lucky to get $23,000 for your car from someone, and that someone would have to be knowledgeable in Camaro tuning and appreciate the mods you have done. That greatly reduces your pool of potential buyers and skimps you off quite a bit of mod money. Now if you could take off those mods and sell em on here, you could get some $6,000 for them. Along with $20,000 for the actual car you stand to make $3,000 more doing it that way all for a weekend's worth of work. And your pool of potential buyers is greatly increased by selling a stock car. If you had minor bolt ons I'd say it's probably not worth to demod, but given you have some extensive mods like a supercharger and expensive headers I would demod and sell mods separately. I think many people would kill for a chance to make $3,000 in say 10 hours worth of labor that it would take you to demod.

07-20-2012, 02:20 PM	#8
Deceptipunk Drives: 2012 Camaro ss 6.2 liter 400hp TF3 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Temecula,California Posts: 36 View My Garage	I don't think you'll get $45K. I hope I'm wrong though. I'd love to see the value of these cars go up.

07-20-2012, 02:36 PM	#11
PoorMansCamaro Drives: Really Slow Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Charleston, SC Posts: 43,949	you have to pay a little, but i have sold cars on autotrader.com. fast turn around. probably the best way to sell privately. __________________

07-20-2012, 02:37 PM	#12
Cpanthers85 Drives: 2011 Camaro 2SS RS Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 418 View My Garage	I know it probably doesn't help much, but I have been on the fence about selling my Cobalt SS. KBB for a trade in is around $13k, private party is $15k. I have about $5k in mods invested into it. I was asking $16K thinking it would be a hell of a deal. People kept offering me $11-$12k for it, so I decided to try and trade it in. The highest offer from a dealer was only $10.5 and they claimed that with my mods, I actually depreciated the value of the car. The warranty is still intact too! I was shocked. The other problem I ran into was that people kept asking me to part it out, and like you, I didn't want to be bothered with that. I decided to keep it. Good luck on your decision. I'd hate to see a fellow eforce owner go! __________________ 2011 2SS/RS L99 2009 Cobalt SS 1979 Z28 Mods: Kooks Long Tube Headers, RotoFaB EForce CAI, American Thunder Catback Exhaust, PFADT Stage 1 Drag Kit + Front Sway Bar, GM Strut Tower Bar. ZL1 Fuel Pump. Nitto NT05R. RX Catch Can.LS9 Cam and Springs.LS3 Conversion.JRE Fuel Rail Upgrade.Edelbrock Eforce.60# Eforce Injectors.Extreme Racing Tune. 523/495 MY BUILD THREAD

07-20-2012, 02:54 PM	#14
Swacer Drives: 2012 Camaro 2SS/RS Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1,535	You'll have much better luck selling it to a private party. I sold my modded Genesis Coupe on Autotrader. I did the $70ish option and the car was getting phone calls within days. I had it sold within a month. I got a bit more than the loan was worth....but the mods for the most part...were a loss. __________________

07-20-2012, 02:56 PM	#15
squat Drives: 2011 Dodge Charger Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: MN Posts: 887	I hate how dealers will either give you stock price or below for a modded car and then turn around and sell it for more because of the mods. I've never sold a modded car, but I've purchased several cars/trucks and every time I see one listed that has mods it's always a great deal more expensive because of the mods. I simply tell them 'no thanks, I don't want to pay for the mods. So either sell me that one for stock value or find me a stock one' and that's that. Just a rather scummy thing I've noticed... __________________ 2011 Dodge Charger

07-20-2012, 03:02 PM	#16
STW Drives: 2011 Camaro 1SS/RS LS3 Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Chicago Posts: 415	I sold my 70 SS Chevelle on Craiglists in 10 minutes. Had 7 other people offering cash, trailer, get it tonight, etc....couldn't get the post down soon enough from stopping it from blowing up my phone. was gone by dusk. Nominal investment posting on there, might go quick.

07-20-2012, 03:03 PM	#17
STW Drives: 2011 Camaro 1SS/RS LS3 Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Chicago Posts: 415	Btw the Chevelle was far from stock.

07-20-2012, 03:10 PM	#18
partymn Drives: Chevy Camaro SS Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Goose Creek, SC Posts: 553 View My Garage	Let me give you the quation for adding the cost of mods to a cars value. Price of mod - amount for OEM replacment. So lets say that you have added a CAI= $350. OEM intake= $200, price added onto sale price $150. When most people look at buying a car they only look at the book price, most are ignorant in the fact that its modded and they dont know how to price for the mods. You will never make money on a after market modded car unless you mod it and sell it when its brand new with almost no miles on it. Your best bet is to put it up on this site, I tryed to buy one that was already boosted from this site. Just be aware that not everyone that asks about your car will be able to come and get it so be prepaired to ship it to them and have them pay via PayPal. I think $45 is more then reasonable for the extensive amount of mods that you have as long as the car is in really good shape and you dont add shipping on top of it. Plus the people on this site will know better than anyone else what the car is actually worth. Good luck __________________ 2011 2ss M6 Turbo

07-20-2012, 08:30 PM	#19
hightower LS3 Black Widow Drives: 2012 45th 2SS LS3 and 1968 Mustang Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Madison, GA Posts: 4,349	De-mod it __________________ My Camaro Story

07-20-2012, 08:34 PM	#20
Higgs Boson Big Time Newb Drives: C63 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 1,236	yep, get it back to as stock as possible.

07-20-2012, 08:42 PM	#21
two_wheel_mayhem Would rather be riding Drives: 2012 SS LS3 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 1,503	For a private sale, modifications may be the deciding factor for a buyer picking your car over another. But it's a double edged sword if your asking price is too high justified by mods, not many will call. Unless it's big mods like a S/C then your market becomes more specific. No one acts like they care about mods when buying, it's a buyer strategy. __________________ Nice vehicles with mods.

07-20-2012, 08:43 PM	#22
Run4two Drives: 2012 Camaro 2SS Transformer Edition Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Temecula, Ca Posts: 453	Just keep it.

07-20-2012, 09:29 PM	#23
FINALLYSATISFIED Est.1775 Drives: ZL1 #206 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,393	Military bases you'll end up having the best luck honestly...

07-20-2012, 10:48 PM	#25
Carls2SS Drives: 2012 45th Anniversary 2SS/RS M6 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 116	I've had goodluck with craigslist, just make sure when some one comes to look at the car, meet them at your local police station, or state trooper barracks __________________ 2012-45th Anniversary Edition 2SS/RS/M6 (1969 Camaro Z-28 :( "Sold" a LOOOONG time ago!)